Advice needed, and yes I have used the search function before someone says it! I am having some welding work done on my 110 station wagon chassis which will require the springs and shocks to be removed, both are pretty cruddy and I can see in a year or so they will need replacing so I am getting them changed at the same time as the chassis is done – two birds one stone and all that.
My problem is what do I put back on? The current set up (as far as I am aware) are genuine landrover springs and shocks (I think they are the original ones!?) and it rides pretty nice. I was all set up to just replace them with these again.
But over Christmas I have fitted a MDF draw system in the back which is a heavy weight, I measured the height before the draw and after the draw and on the face of it the draw made no difference to the height, bearing in mind I was on my parents wobbly driveway so the measurements were different on every wheel anyway!
Having said that, the rest of the landrover was empty, I plan in the future to turn it slowly into a ‘part time over-lander’ so will eventually have a fair few bits in the back – couple of jerry cans, side awning, tents, camping stuff… you get the idea. It’s not going to be heavily laden so to speak but has the potential to be ‘fairly heavy’.
Over the last few days / weeks I have pretty much gone through every option I can think of and come down to the following three ideas:
1) Keep standard springs and shocks and hope for the best – I think it should be okay, but I am very conscious of sagging with the load.
2) Upgrade to genuine landrover heavy duty springs – Will keep a good solid height and deal with the load better, but as its not a super heavy load is it going to rattle my teeth out?
3) Suspension (+2?) lift – soft’ish ride but any increase in weigh has less of an impact due to the new higher ride (i.e. it might sag, but wont sag less than it would on original springs)
I was all set on 3, but I have come to realise that with it comes issues such as new angles of trailing arms et al, to get good quality it seems to be a requirement to spend a fortune, the issues that come with a lifted vehicle… so I think I will condemn this idea.
This leaves two options genuine standard as it is, or genuine heavy duty. I honestly don’t know what would be more suited. I think current weight wise I fall in between the two, but thinking ‘future wise’ the HD set would allow me to add winches and roof top tents….. but then is a less comftable ride and less off-road articulation a good price to pay for something that may or may not happen in the future?
My problem is what do I put back on? The current set up (as far as I am aware) are genuine landrover springs and shocks (I think they are the original ones!?) and it rides pretty nice. I was all set up to just replace them with these again.
But over Christmas I have fitted a MDF draw system in the back which is a heavy weight, I measured the height before the draw and after the draw and on the face of it the draw made no difference to the height, bearing in mind I was on my parents wobbly driveway so the measurements were different on every wheel anyway!
Having said that, the rest of the landrover was empty, I plan in the future to turn it slowly into a ‘part time over-lander’ so will eventually have a fair few bits in the back – couple of jerry cans, side awning, tents, camping stuff… you get the idea. It’s not going to be heavily laden so to speak but has the potential to be ‘fairly heavy’.
Over the last few days / weeks I have pretty much gone through every option I can think of and come down to the following three ideas:
1) Keep standard springs and shocks and hope for the best – I think it should be okay, but I am very conscious of sagging with the load.
2) Upgrade to genuine landrover heavy duty springs – Will keep a good solid height and deal with the load better, but as its not a super heavy load is it going to rattle my teeth out?
3) Suspension (+2?) lift – soft’ish ride but any increase in weigh has less of an impact due to the new higher ride (i.e. it might sag, but wont sag less than it would on original springs)
I was all set on 3, but I have come to realise that with it comes issues such as new angles of trailing arms et al, to get good quality it seems to be a requirement to spend a fortune, the issues that come with a lifted vehicle… so I think I will condemn this idea.
This leaves two options genuine standard as it is, or genuine heavy duty. I honestly don’t know what would be more suited. I think current weight wise I fall in between the two, but thinking ‘future wise’ the HD set would allow me to add winches and roof top tents….. but then is a less comftable ride and less off-road articulation a good price to pay for something that may or may not happen in the future?
